Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

Farway: Those birds are loving the bath, worthy of front page I would think, must top mine up soon.

This place is crazily full of birds currently, especially early and late. I counted roughly 20 on the lawn at 07.00, with maybe another 10 taking time out around it. Suddenly we have many blackbirds including the newly fledged, when earlier in the year they were very scarce. I'm not sure what the attraction is. Surely the worms arte well down in the earth right now, but maybe not in the early morning? 🤔

The black birds are still the only animals we have witnessed eating slugs. 😇

Farway: Brave man Dusty on going fibre, not that it shouldn't work but the world being what it is I'm wary of fixing what, for me, is not broken. Anyway once Dear Northern Leader gets going you will be able to watch all the Approved Truth channels much faster now.

I don't think there's much option, given that the copper wires will be switched-off eventually. 😥 But it's not a done deal. We've been told 2 different things about the manner in which the cable will enter the house, so it remains to be seen which they try to foist on us.😏

One of the two will be a "No." We negotiate from there if that happens.

As for the other issue of government interference with the media, there are channels other than YT, and there are VPNs. I seem to recall having to use 'other services' in 2021. 😛

No more gardening till this evening. Last night, I wandered over the fields at 21.00, expecting to spray 'a few' thistles I'd missed on Sunday. A great many were still smiling at me! 😡 By 22.00 I was fairly sure I'd hit those too, but the light wasn't good by then.

Another 'dreamy' morning light photo. No grapefruit, though it was breakfast time. That hydrangea in the background seems to be changing its mind about being blue. 😕

twopenny

Another gorgeous picture Dusty 😍 wish my garden looked so healthy. Like you, I've been awash with small birds at the feeders in the morning. So many it gets a bit like bullying. And all sorts of varieties.

Nothing much to report again. 40c in the back, 32c elsewhere. I took the train to the ponds where I photograph but only a cormorant and a few geese. Saw a kingfisher wizz by too fast. And some fast dragon flies. Seems even waterfowl just hide and nap in this weather.

Lots and lots of butterflies though and I found somewhere else for blackberries as my current lane has been spoiled by someone dumping garden waste there. It's 100yds from the skips 😬

I ventured out to trim the finished trimming the lavender heads that were over and they are so full of bees and butterflies. Some parts are dying though from the dry but you can't water everything 🫤 didn't last long out there. Still 29c.

Congratulations on the grapefruit Farway 👏 that's quite a crop!

LessImpecunious

Mallow pic remembered at last - you may spot an intrusive weed in similar vein to Dusty's pic of a few days ago, and just as attractive…😁 (oh, sorry, and an intrusive foot, I've just noticed…)

Sorry, not a brill pic, sun too bright and can't seem to edit an improvement, looked better on my phone (and even better in real life…) Shortly afterwards a Small Skipper (probably) flitted around and landed on it briefly, not able to photo it 😕

Dustyevsky

Less: Sorry, not a brill pic, sun too bright and can't seem to edit an improvement,

The conditions are very bright during current daytimes, and the huge light / shade contrasts aren't easy to cope with. We can see it's the same as 'my' mallow, though, and your weed is classier! 😆

Yesterday was a fail, when I headed out camera-less to release the hens and stumbled on a Hummingbird Moth. By the time I'd gone inside to retrieve the camera, it had moved 20m down the hedgerow. I arrived as it left! 😪

The plant it had been attracted to was good old Teucrium hircanicum. Grows anywhere, seeds freely, and doesn't look good for very long, but the insects don't care!

Of course, there don't seem to be any insects present in the above photo! 🤔

Luckily, a Gatekeeper butterfly happened along, so I took a picture of it instead. Not rare, but always good to see around this time.

The Openreach fibre installation was a no-show. 😡 Maybe the heat is causing them problems elsewhere. We're apparently in for another scorchio day at 29c max and little wind, so another siesta is probably on the cards! 😁

Ate my first outdoor courgette last night. The kale and chard are doing so well we're feeding them to the chickens, but the salad crops are going-over fast. Also ate the first chilli in the poly, which seems to have been an outlier, but others are looking good. 😊

2p: Another gorgeous picture Dusty 😍 wish my garden looked so healthy.

That bit is mostly shady….and not being on metered water helps too! 😉

Farway

Up at five this morning, too hot to sleep, and I was sorting out moving my matured cash ISA 🙄, so decided I'd get cracking before the furnace door opened.

Out feeding & watering the front pots by six, quite cool but I can feel the heat building even now, forecast is OMG, the bin men are starting the rounds early, can't blame them, must be awful in full sun.

Well spotted on Humming bird moth Dusty, I've not seen any this year, are they the ones that migrate? Slinks off to check Gargle. Yep, memory was right, a migrant 😁https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/moths/hummingbird-hawk-moth I'll keep eyes open, especially now my buddlias are fully out

There are a few butterflies flitting about here, mainly cabbage whites, but some unknown brown ones as well.

While watering I spotted a clump of unknown seedlings in a lily pot, looks to me like I had a brilliant idea of sowing something to take place of the lilies as they die back. Trouble is I've no idea what I sowed 🤔, looks like sunflowers, but too many for the few seeds I had, they have large flat seed leaves, like a cucumber / marrow / sunflower, but can't be any of those. probably some noxious invasive weed, and time will reveal all.

Big news, the self sown tom in cat Poo trough has got fruit, looks like they are small cherry on a small bush tom. Still green and growing and had a feed of Tomorite this morning

In other news, after umpteen decades I have finally got a Sea Holly in flower 😊. For fifty years or more I've tried everything from plants to seed & all options in between. This one came from Morries last year and is planted in poo border.

It has got a list to starboard and is propped up by self sown foxglove. I could put a cane in, but looks OK as a leaning sea holly. In background is photo bombing self sown tom & cat poo trough

wort

snap Farway, I finally got some to survive after many attempts. They were part of my wedding bouquet, and dh had as buttonhole.

LessImpecunious

Less: Sorry, not a brill pic, sun too bright and can't seem to edit an improvement,

The
conditions are very bright during current daytimes, and the huge light /
shade contrasts aren't easy to cope with. We can see it's the same as
'my' mallow, though, and your weed is classier! 😆

Oops, I had yours down as Malva sylvestris…

On another id note, your Gatekeeper seems to have only one white spot, instead of the double - have looked at my butterfly book, but it seems the only possibility… Butterflies here are all moving far too fast to attempt a photo, or even an id in some cases, maybe the heat? Still odd ones flying at dusk, while watering (me not the butterflies…

twopenny

Another hot one yesterday. It was beautiful in the morning. A real English summer day then the breeze dropped and it was sweltering until late.

I watered everything - same old - but I think I have a tiny yellow tomato coming 🙂 no idea any more what's what but can't wait for decent flavour.

Farm shop near hear has been taken over and selling local produce, all sorts of hand made pasta and samples of sausages. I was able to buy a little yellow courgette for a stir-fry but it had been picked for a while so not like ones you grow. Perhaps when they've got going.

Picked some more of those tasty blackberries on the way home. I'm going stir crazy not getting out and away from the heat. Just 5 more days to go and hopefully can drive 🤞

Dustyevsky

Less: Oops, I had yours down as Malva sylvestris…

I think it's Malva moschata, but I've not gone into that ID very deeply! 🙂

I was pondering on Farway's and wort's success with sea hollies this year and thinking, "Why have mine died out?" when I spotted one buried under other plants in the 'Challenging' hedge border. Not sure what it is yet or how it got there.

Today is hottest if we believe the drunkards, 2p. They say 32c here. 😱 I'm moving some plants in pots behind a hedge, or they'll boil! 😨

I think this Gatekeeper has the regulation two spots, Less:

I mowed one of the large lawn areas of grass last night. This morning we have many young blackbirds showing their appreciation, and (rare for us) 3 young thrushes too. 😍

greenbee

I've managed to siphon the bath water into the IBCs that feed the irrigation system, so am very happy. Although it would have been sensible to put an aquastop valve on the end in the bath so I don't have to drag the tap-connected hose up to the bathroom to get the air out of the siphon hose every time I want to do it!